Extension-leg attachment for ladders



7 1927. June F. F. BERRY EXTENSION LEG ATTACHMENT FOR LADDERS Filed June 17. 1926 uwENToR Ber/15% ATTORNEYS WITNESSES a ladder which has the attachment and through gulde and Patented June 7, 1927.

are r FRED FORREST BERRY,

OF CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

EXTENSION-LEG- ATTACHMENT FOR LADDERS.

Application filed June 17, 1926. Serial No. 116,700.

My invention relates to improvements in extension leg attachments for ladders, and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of the invention is the provision of a strong and reliable extension attachment for the lower end portion of a leg of a ladder which can be quickly and easily adjusted as required to adapt the ladder to be supported firmly either on a level surface or on an inclined or irregular surface.

A further object of the invention is the rovision of an extension leg attachment for a novel supporting foot at the lower end of the extension leg adapted to. engage with a su porting surface, whether inclined, horizonta or irre ular, so as to positively prevent slipping of the lower end of the ladder on the supporting surface.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of an attachment of the character described which will take up but very little space on the associated ladder leg when the attachment is in its contracted position and will not interfere with the stacking and relative movements of a plurality of ladders equipped with attachments embodying the invention.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a ladder equipped with an extension leg attachment embodying the invention and in position to adapt the ladder to be supported firmly on an inclined roof surface,

Figure 2 is a perspective view on a larger scale than Figure 1 of a fragmentary portion of a leg of the ladder shown in Figure 1. showing the attachment secured to the inner side of said lower end portion of the ladder leg, and

Figure 3 is a transverse section through the associated ladder leg.

The improved attachment may be used with a ladder which, as shown in Figure 1, comprises a pair ofside members or legs 1 and 2. respectively connected at intervals along their length by cross members or rungs 3. The attachment comprises an attaching housing section 4. The section 4 is formed of a strip of relatively strong material of light gauge, such as a suitable metal,

bent longitudinally to comprise a longitudmally extending substantially 'U-shaped mam guide portion 5 and a pair of other substantially U-shaped guide ortions 6 wh ch are located at the side e ges of the main guide portion 5. The outer members of the substantially U-shaped guide portions 6 are provided at intervals along their length with transverse openings 7 for the reception of'the head portions of flat headed screws- 8 for attaching the guide and housing section of the. device to' one of the legs, as the leg 1, of the associated ladder so that the outer members of the substantially U-shaped guide portions 6 of the guide and housing section are secured .fiatwise against the inner face of the lower end portion of the leg 1 below the lowermost rung 3 and the heads of the screws 8 will be substantially flush with the inner faces of the outer members of the substantially U-shaped guide portions 6 of the guide and housing section of the device. The other side members of the portions 6 of the guide and housing sections of the device may e formed with transverse openings 9 inline with the openings 7 and of greater area than the openings 7. The screws 8 may be projected through the openings 9' into and through the openings 7 into the leg 1 of the ladder and the blade of a screw driver may be projected through the openings 9 to positions to engage with the heads of the screws 8 and the screw driver manipulated to screw the screws 8 to positions in engagement with the leg 1 of the ladder. The guide and housing section of the attachment thus will be secured firmly to the leg 1 of the ladder at the inner side of the ladder and therefore in an out-of-the-way position.

The attachment also includes an extension leg which is adapted to slide in the guide and housing section. The extension leg preferably is formed to include a metallic strip which is bent longitudinally to produce a substantially channel-shaped body 10 which fits slid'ably in the main substantially U- shaped portion 5 of the guide and housing section and has laterally turned edge portions 11 adapted to extend into the spaces between the side members of the substantially U-shaped portions 6 of the guide and housing section. The extension leg also includes a bracing strip 12 of light gauge metal having the longitudinal edge portions thereof bent substantially to U-shape as indicated at 13 and disposed in embracing relation to the laterally turned edge portions 11 of the body member of the extension leg. The portions 13 of the bracing strip 12 of the extension leg fit slidably in the lateral substantially U-shaped portions 6 of the guide and housing section of the device.

The lower end portions of the body and bracing strips of which the extension leg is formed are bent fiatwise against each other and then are bent as a unit to be inclined slightly in a downward and laterally outward direction to produce the foot portion 14 at the lower end of the extension leg. The members of which the extension leg is formed are bent to produce the short longitudinal corrugation 15 at the juncture of the foot portion 14 and the main portion of the extension leg, the direction of transverse curvature of the corrugated portion 15 of the extension leg being opposite to the direction of transverse curvature of the substantially channel-shaped body portion 10 of the extension leg so that the extension leg will be strengthened at the juncture of the foot portion 14 and the main portion of the extension leg. The foot portion 14 of the extension leg is bent from its extremity to the adjacent end of the corrugated portion 15 to be concavo-convex in cross sectional configuration with the convexly curved face thereof turned upward so that the side edges and the lower corners of the foot portion 14 of the extension leg will be the places of primary contact with an inclined supporting surface, such as the inclined surface indicated at 16 in Figure 1 and the lower corner portions of the foot 14 will be the primary places of contact of the extension leg with a supporting surface when such supporting surface is level. In any event, the places of contact of the extension leg with a supporting surface will be sufiiciently blunt and extensive to preclude the cutting into a relatively thin underlying member, as for example a shingle, and at the same time will be sufficiently sharp to bite into orengage with an underlying support firmly enough to prevent slipping of the foot of the extension leg on the underlying support.

The portion 5 of the guide and housing section of the attachment is formed with a longitudinally extending guide slot 17 in its web portion. A fastening bolt has a shank 18 extending through an opening 19 in the web portion of the body 10 of the extension leg and through the guide slot 17, the opening 19 being located adjacent to the upper end of the extension leg and the head 20 of the fastening bolt being dispo=ed within the body of the extension leg against the inner face of the web portion of the body of the extension leg. This head 20 of the fastening bolt is non-circular in cross sectional con- 1 figuration as best seen in Figure 2 and will engage at its side edges with the side members of the body portion 10 of the extension leg so that the bolt will be held against turning about its longitudinal axis when the head is in contact with the inner face of the web portion of thebody of the extension leg as shown in Figure 3. The fastening bolt 1820 may be projected through a relatively large opening 21 in the bracing plate port1on'12 of the extension leg to and from position to extend through the opening 19 and the guide slot 17 at any time the guide and housing section of the device has been attached to the lower portion of the leg 1 of the ladder. A washer 22 is placed on the shank of the fastening bolt against the outer face of the web of the portion 5 of the guide and housing section and a wing nut 23 is in threaded engagement with the shank 18 of the fastening bolt and can be tightened on the shank of the bolt against the washer 22 and the portion 5 of the guide and housing section of the attachment to effect locking of the extension leg to the guide and housing section ofcthe attachment when the extension leg has been adjusted in the guide and housing section of the attachment as desired. It is to be observed at this point that the lower end of the leg 1 of the ladder is cut away a distance equal to the height of the foot portion 14 of the extension leg and is inclined downwardly and outwardly from its inner face to its outer face as indicated at 24 in Figure 2 to fit snugly against the upper face of the foot portion 14 of the extension leg When the extension leg is in 100 fully contracted position or in other Words in its highest position along the leg 1 and in the guide and housing section of the attachment so that combined length of the leg 1 and the extension leg of the attachment then will be substantially the same as the length of the leg 2 of the ladder and the ladder then is adapted to be supported uniformly by the legs thereof on a level or horizontal surface. The lower end of the leg 1 11" may be grooved or notched as indicated at 25 in Figure 2 to receive the corrugated portion 15 of the extension leg when the extension leg is in its fully contracted or raised position.

From the foregoing description of the va- I'lOllS parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood. The extension leg may be adjusted to varying distances below the level of the leg 2 of the lat- 12o ter within the limits set by the ends of the slot 17 and firmly secured to the attaching guide and housing sections of the attachment and therefore to the leg 1 in any adjusted position. The latter thus can be 125 adapted to be firmly supported onany inclined or irregular surface in an upright position and without possibility of accidental slipping from position on said supporting surface. The engagement of the foot of 130 the extension leg with underlying shingles or like supporting members will not split or crack such members. The members on the attachment brace one another so that the device is relatively strong when made of a given material. The members of the attachment preferably are formed of metal as hereinbefore stated, and such metal is rendered rust-proof in any suitable known manner.

The device will take up but relatively little space on the associated leg of a ladder so that a plurality of ladders equipped with attachments embodying the invention can be stacked in a wagon or other vehicle or place of storage and can be separated readily without the attachments on one ladder engaging with a portion of an adjacent lad- Obviously, the invention is susceptible of embodiment in forms other than that which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and I therefore consider as my own all such modifications and adaptations thereof as fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim 1. An extension leg attachment for a ladder comprising a guide section attachable to the lower end portion of a leg of a ladder, an extension leg slidable in said guide section, and means for locking said extension leg to said guide section, said extension leg having an inclined foot portion, the inclination of said foot portion being in a downward and laterally outward direction and said foot portion being curved transversely substantially along the arc of a circle so that the lower surface thereof is concave.

2. An extension leg attachment for a ladder comprising a guide section attachable to the lower'end portion of a leg of a ladder, an extension leg slidable in said guide section, and means for locking said extension leg to said guide section, said extension leg having an inclined foot portion, said extension leg having a longitudinally extending corrugated portion in the angle at the juncture of said foot and the remainder of the extension leg.

3. An extension leg attachment for ladders comprising a guide and housing section consisting of a main substantially U-shaped guide portion and a pair of secondary substantially U-shaped guide portions at the edges of said main guide portion, the outer members of said secondary substantially U shaped guide portions having longitudinally spaced transverse openings formed with counter-sunk inner ends for the reception of fastening devices for securing said guide and housing section to the lower end portion of a leg of the ladder at the, inner side of said leg, an extension leg having a main portion conforming substantially in cross sectional' configuration to the cross section of the space Within said guide and housing section and adapted to slide longitudinally in said guide and housing section, said extension leg having an integral foot portion inclined slightly in a downward and laterally outward direction so as to form-an obtuse angle with the remainder of the extension leg, and means for locking said main portion of the leg extension to said guide and housing section, the lower end portion of said one leg of the ladder being cut away a distance equal-to the height of the foot portion of the leg extension and being formed to contact closely with the underlying portion of the foot of the leg extension when said leg extension is in its fully contracted or raised position.

4. An extension leg attachment for ladders I comprising a guide and housing section consisting of a main substantially U-shaped guide portion and a pair of secondary substantially U-shaped guide portions at the edges of said main guide portion, the outer members of said secondary substantially U-- shaped guide portions having'longitudinally spaced transverse openings formed with counter-sunk inner ends for the reception of fastening devices for securing said guide and housing section to the lower end portion of a leg of the ladder at the inner side of said leg, an extension leg having a main portion conforming substantially in cross sectional configuration to1the cross section of the space within said guide and housing section and adapted to slide longitudinally in said guide and housing section. said extension leg having a foot portion inclined slightly in a downward and laterally outward direction, and means for locking said main portion of the leg extension to said guide and housing section, said main substantially U-shaped guide portion of the guide and housing section having alongitudinally extending guide slot, the main. portion of the extension leg having an opening in line with the guide slot, and a fastening bolt having a shank extended through said opening in the main portion of the extension leg and through said guide slot, the head of said bolt being engageable with the side walls of the main portion of the extension leg to prevent turning of said bolt, and a clamping nut in threaded engagement with said bolt for cooperating with said bolt to lock said extension leg to said guide and housing section.

5. An extension leg attachment for ladders comprising a guide and housing section consisting of a main substantially U-shaped guide portion and a pair of secondary substantially U-shaped ide portions at the edges of said main guide portion, the secondof the guide and housing section are unobstructed, an extension leg formed of two cothe extension leg being bentagainst each other and then as a unit to be inclined slightly downwardly and laterally outward, thus producing a supporting foot portion, the substantially U-shaped body portion of the extension leg having a transverse opening and the Web of the main substantially U- shaped portion of the guide and housing section having a longitudinally extending guide slot, a bolt having a shank extending through the transverse opening in the body strip of the extension leg and through the guide slot in the guide and housing section, the second strip of the extension leg having a relatively large opening in line with the transverse opening of the first or body strip of the extension leg through which said bolt may be projected to and from position 'to extend through the opening in the body strip of the extension leg and through said guide slot in the guide and housing section, and a clamping nut in threaded engagement with the shank of said bolt for cooperating with said bolt to lock said extension leg to said guide and housing section.

FRED FORREST BERRY. 

